Form Meets Function in Long Non-Coding RNAsOctober 10, 2016Thousands of long non-coding RNAs have been discovered in recent years, leading some to claim there may be as many functional RNAs as proteins. The hoopla, however, has left some wondering whether the field is all bark and no bite. Many recent functional studies have demonstrated clear visible phenotypes for long non-coding RNAs, quieting some […]
m6A Enables XIST’s Repressive ExistenceSeptember 27, 2016Life can be hard out there for an X chromosome, particularly when faced with a well-known molecular form of sexual discrimination. The key to this repressive environment and resulting existential crisis is X-inactive specific transcript (XIST), a long non-coding (lnc)RNA known to undergo modifications such as cytosine methylation. However, RNA methylation is a rapidly evolving […]
R-Loops at Gene Promoters and Terminals Mark the EpigenomeJuly 18, 2016In today’s loopy world, the wise words “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it” have a particular resonance. Thankfully, our epigenomes are dynamic historians that get the message and make use of past transcripts by forming R-loops. R-Loops and the Epigenome R-loops are RNA-DNA hybrids: a 3 stranded nucleic acid structure. […]
Extra-Coding RNAs (ecRNAs) Sculpt Dynamic DNA Methylation of the BrainJuly 18, 2016We’ve got our mind on methylation and methylation in our mind, but we are often left wondering how DNA methylation got there in the first place. Well, that cognitive tongue twister has now been cracked by a class of RNA that likes to interact with DNA methyltransferases. Extra coding RNAs (ecRNAs) originate from the sense […]
Hey Methylation, Thanks for the MemoriesJuly 18, 2016Memories; we all have some we would rather forget, and some that we will hold onto forever. But how exactly is memory formed and what are the biochemical pathways that are in play? Recent studies have indicated that RNA and DNA adenosine methylation are important for the conversion of experiences, both good and bad, into […]
MeRIP-seq, N1-methyladenosine (m1A), and the Expanding EpitranscriptomeFebruary 23, 2016There’s no denying that understanding a new language can be tricky. Without a complete alphabet, the most important messages can be lost in translation. When it comes to complex languages, the epigenome is no exception. There are a number of RNA base modifications involved in post transcriptional regulation, including pseudouridine (Ψ) and 5hmC, and there’s […]
Gut Cells Control Microbiome With miRNAsFebruary 13, 2016Out on the cutting edge of biology lies talk of manipulating our gut microbiome. This sounds like a bold idea, but it looks like we may already be hacking our microbiomes without even realizing it. A new paper from Shirong Liu in Howard Weiner’s lab at Harvard suggests that our gut cells have already figured […]
tRNA Fragments Beat DNA Methylation in the Game of Paternal Intergenerational Epigenetic InheritanceJanuary 9, 2016The fact that parental diet affects the metabolism of offspring goes to show that inheritance can be shaped by environmental factors. While early studies focused on mom’s contribution, we’re now starting to see the importance of paternal contribution for shaping an offspring’s epigenome. For the past 15 years, the lab of Oliver Rando at the […]
Retroviral lincRNA Regulates miRNA Pluripotency SwitchDecember 28, 2015Everyone knows the old saying that “when life gives you lemons, make lemonade”, but what are you supposed to do when life gives you a genome full of retroviral ncRNAs? Nature seems to think it should evolve elaborate regulatory elements for your complex development. Two-thirds of the 10,000 long intergenic noncoding RNAs (lincRNA) found so […]
m6A Modification Protects Against Heat ShockNovember 13, 2015When exposed to high temperatures, cells behave much as we would on a hot summer’s day. Cell division, and most energy-consuming activities, come to a standstill (a bit like the human equivalent of lying perfectly still on a sunbed with a mojito in hand). Yet, despite the general repression of translation, genes encoding protective heat […]
